Course of Action Questions

• Statement: A very large number of students failed in the final high-school examinations due to wrong questions in one subject. Courses of Action: I. Allow all affected students to take a supplementary examination for that subject. II. Suspend those responsible and initiate an inquiry to establish facts.
• Statement: Prices of foodgrains and vegetables have risen sharply due to a prolonged strike by the truck owners’ association. Courses of Action: I. Immediately arrange alternative logistics to ensure adequate market supplies. II. Cancel licences of all vehicles belonging to the association.
• Statement: Ten coaches of a passenger train have derailed, blocking both up and down tracks. Courses of Action: I. Immediately send men and equipment to clear the tracks. II. Divert trains running in both directions via alternative routes.
• Statement: Water levels in all lakes supplying the city have dropped significantly. Courses of Action: I. Impose partial cuts/rationing in municipal supply to manage scarcity. II. Appeal through mass media for minimal, responsible water use by residents.
• Statement: There is an unprecedented rise in berth requests for long-distance trains during the current holiday season. Courses of Action: I. Immediately attach additional coaches to these trains to increase capacity. II. Advise people to plan travel after the holiday season.
• Statement: Two morning walkers were killed by unidentified miscreants near the joggers’ park. Courses of Action: I. Deploy police personnel around the park during early morning hours. II. Advise residents to walk in groups for added safety.
• Statement: A huge tidal wave has swept away many fishing boats and hutments along the coastline. Courses of Action: I. Restrain fishermen from constructing huts along the coastline henceforth. II. Send officials to assess damage and suggest remedial measures.
• Statement: A large number of vernacular-medium students have not passed the Xth standard final examination. Courses of Action: I. The Government should immediately review the situation and initiate measures to improve outcomes. II. Issue notices to all teachers of these schools to improve student performance.
• Statement: Researchers are agitated because libraries cannot deliver the right information to the right users at the right time in the required format; users are also unaware of available services. Courses of Action: I. Computerise library holdings and services to speed up delivery. II. Train library staff in computer operations and service delivery; run user-orientation programmes.
• Statement: Many invitees at a marriage function suffered food poisoning and were rushed to nearby hospitals. Courses of Action: I. The Government should ban such marriage functions till further notice. II. The local hospitals should be advised to provide the best possible services to the affected people.
• Statement: Several schoolchildren have died recently in incidents attributed to poor maintenance of school buses. Courses of Action: I. Set up an expert group to inspect school buses and recommend safety measures. II. Suspend licences of all school buses until every bus is checked.
• Statement: A majority of students have failed in one paper in the first-semester examination. Courses of Action: I. Ask all failed students to drop out of the course. II. Ask the faculty teaching that paper to resign.
• Statement: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) receives a complaint that an officer is taking a bribe to perform an official duty. Courses of Action: I. Arrange a trap to catch the officer red-handed and take strict action as per law. II. Wait for a few more complaints about the officer before acting so as to be sure.
• Statement: At a railway level crossing, a bus collided with a running train; around fifty people died. Courses of Action: I. Immediately suspend the train driver. II. Try the bus driver in court for negligence. III. Ensure that all level crossings are manned by the railways.
• Statement: During the recent festival season, the city saw a spurt in criminal activities. Courses of Action: I. Police should immediately investigate the causes of the surge. II. In future, police should take adequate precautions during festivals to prevent recurrence. III. Arrest all known criminals before every festival season as a blanket measure.
• Statement: Along the Andhra coast, mass shrimp mortality has been reported in ponds due to a suspected virus. Courses of Action: I. Immediately test/treat affected pond water to identify the virus and parameters. II. Temporarily stop catching and selling shrimps from affected ponds. III. Advise fishermen to watch for early warning signs and report promptly.
• Statement: Natural calamities are occurring more frequently now than five years ago. Courses of Action: I. Maintain always-ready disaster management action plans and capacities. II. Restrict/deny development activities that harm nature and worsen hazards. III. Appoint a panel of environmentalists and scientists to plan for varied calamities.
• Statement: MBA institutes are mushrooming, and many graduating MBAs lack adequate quality. Courses of Action: I. Enforce stringent norms for approval and oversight of management institutes. II. Students should evaluate the market value and outcomes of the specific program before admission. III. Employers should require an MBA only where genuinely essential.
• Statement: Many school/college students score high but fail to truly master subjects. Courses of Action: I. Boards should re-examine and revise examinations to detect real understanding. II. Design assessments to discourage rote learning and reward application. III. Make papers significantly harder across the board.
• Statement: Asthma cases are rising, especially in large cities. Courses of Action: I. Civic bodies should ensure adequate supply of asthma medicines at reasonable prices. II. Authorities should control vehicular emissions and urban air pollution rigorously. III. Unauthorized tree cutting should be punished severely to protect urban green cover.